Typically, a laminate floor is water damage resistant. Unfortunately, any amount of water can still destroy the laminate floor. A laminate floor is constructed of many sections that are locked together. The homeowner can do water damage repair without needing to take up the entire floor. Before any repairs can be done you need to dry the area that is wet. It needs to be completely dry. Once dry you can put down new laminated flooring in the sections that were damaged.
Water damage can happen to the laminated floor if a washing machine, refrigerator, or dishwasher leaks. Any standing water damage the floor of course. Once you have located what caused the water leak and fixed it, it is time to dry the flooring completely. To do this you can use a wet/dry vacuum or mopping. Which method is used depends on how much water there is. After you get all the excess water dried up, put a fan on the floor and turn it on to dry the flooring.
Water damage repair starts by taking out the damp sections of the floor. To help prevent ruining the surrounding flooring you can try to use a hammer and chisel to start pulling the damaged parts of the flooring away from the floorboards. If these tools do not work, you may have to use a crowbar or circular saw. Next, use a knife to remove the tongue part of the flooring. Turn on the fan again to dry the floorboards before you put down new laminate flooring. It is important to make sure that the floorboards are dry to help prevent mold growing if the floorboards are left wet.
Most laminated flooring are done in a pattern style so you will have to recreate the pattern on the floor that had water damage before you can put it down. Once you have the pattern complete, use construction glue, and put in the first new piece of the pattern. Before it dries make sure that you clean off any excess glue. Put a heavy object on the flooring until it dries completely. Instead of using glue and dealing with the mess you can use nails. If you choose to use nails, you will need to nail the first flooring section on an existing section so it fits tightly. Continue piecing the pattern together on the flooring until you have the floor repaired. If you cannot find the pattern to match your current laminate flooring you will have to tear all of the flooring up and put down a new one with a different pattern. If you are unable to do this job yourself you can hire a professional to do the water damage repair.